I was at a loose end, as I often am being signed off with bi-polar. I thought why don't I explore somewhere local to my flat in Goldsithney. Godolphin hill sprang to mind as I've never been up it, although I'd recently been up Tregonning hill next to it. These two hills are quite noticeable and distinct when driving from Penzance to Helston along the A394 and also noticeable from many other parts of West Cornwall.
I took the road from Goldsithney to Leedstown and turned right at the village of Townshend. The narrow lane winded through pleasant woodland and I came to the carpark at Godolphin house a national trust property. There was a small charge at the national trust carpark , I parked my van up in the shade. A car parked next to me and to my surprise a lovely couple I know from church ... Martin and Marguerite got out . We had a little chat.. they were visiting Godolphin house as they love the gardens there it's one of their favourite places.
I studied the visitors map in the carpark and set off along the track after memorising the directions. The track followed along the boundary of Godolphin house past woodland in the left and fields on the right. I noticed the woodland was mainly mature sycamore trees . The woodland floor was carpeted with a mass of bluebells , currently in full bloom . A beautiful sight common in the UK but rare in the rest of Europe.
I looked over the wall into the gardens of Godolphin house but they were too far off to appreciate them. There were lots of outbuildings , many of them looked like they were no longer in use.
At the end of this article I have inserted a short history of Godolphin house which I copy and pasted off the National Trust website.
I came to a T-junction in the path and headed right , uphill through more sycamore woodland. In the glades there were a beautiful combination of mainly Stitchwort which is grass-like with small white flowers, Bluebells ,Herb Robert and Red Campion, also interspersed amongst them Cow Parsley.
I came to the entrance of a grassy pasture where there was an enormous granite gate post with an irregular shape (rather than post shaped) . It might be the biggest gate post I've seen. Crystals of Kaolin, quartz and mica could be seen in the rock. White Lichen grew all over the post signifying how clean the air is here near the Cornish coast.
I continued along the path, going uphill , quite a gentle incline, not too steep. I left the woodland area went through a gate and was now on moorland, covered with mainly dead bracken from last year ( the young new shoots were still small and not very visable) . Interspersed amongst the bracken were gorse, heather and the odd tree mainly goat willow ( Salix caprea) though I think I remember seeing holly and oak too.
I was actually already on Godolphin hill at this point, but now the upper part of the dome-shaped hill was clearly visable, covered in moorland. I couldn't quite see the summit as the shape of the hill hid it .
A bird of prey flew from left to right across the moorland at first I assumed it was a buzzard but as it came closer it had a different silhouette to a buzzard , longer narrower wings and I could make out some white in the wings. It was a Red Kite . Back in the 1970's and 80's this would have been an incredibly rare sight, seeing a Red Kite in Cornwall. They were on the brink of extinction in the UK with only a handful in Wales. However now they have made a spectacular comeback with the help of reintroductions of birds from Sweden, they are now common in many places "upcountry" . They aren't yet really common in Cornwall but they are fairly regularly seen here.
Between the 15th and 17th centuries the hill and many fields were given over to a deer park and rabbit warren. These rabbit breeding grounds were a source of high-status meat and fur. The deer park was used to farm for venison, but also would have been used for hunting as a leisure activity.
As I continued up the track ( it was slightly steeper now) I passed large rounded granite boulders that were scattered here and there amongst the bracken and alongside the track. I came to several patches of beautiful wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa) with their dainty flowers, each having six delicate white petals.
I reached the summit . The views were great all around . To the west were the Carns (granite hills) of West Penwith (the Lands End peninsula) , to the north-east was the long, flat , high area the Great Flat Lode where a lot of tin mining once took place. To the south was the sea with seaside villages such as Praa sands , Perranuthno and Marazion. I can't remember if St. Michael's Mount, Helston and Penzance were visable, but quite likely. Also I could see Townshend where the road turns off and I could make out the wooded valley of the Hayle river and could follow it's course vaguely to it's source at Crowan, near Praze-an-Beeble.
I looked in the direction of the neighbouring Tregonning hill and saw the engine house and chimney of a tin mine I have read about previously " The Great Work Mine". In 1745 a pharmacist from Plymouth called William Cookworthy was visiting this tin mine and found out about a very fine clay that was being mined on the nearby Tregonning hill. The clay was being used to repair furnaces. He realised it was ideal for the manufacture of porcelain and thanks to him this is where English china clay was first quarried in the UK and the clay from here was used to make the first British porcelain .
I headed back down the hill , as I re-entered the woods I spotted two red admiral butterflies fluttering in a glade . Lower down in one of the car parks a Song thrush loudly sang it's beautiful melody. I headed back to my van via a different route through the woods and crossed over a small clear brook.
Part 2.
The day-trip was not over however as on the way , just before reaching Godolphin , I had spotted a lay by in the valley of the Hayle river . On the way back I decided to park at the layby and study Google maps. I walked along a track through more woods and came to a lovely spot next to the river. The grass banks have been used by picnickers for many generations I'm sure. Near the river on private land was a small lake covered in lilies and other aquatic vegetation. Across the river was a campsite on a farm. I could hear children playing and it brought back my childhood memories camping with my parents and sister.
From there I followed a narrow track that entered into lovely pine woodland .. I love pine trees. The track went up and down over old mine workings. Deeper into the woods the trees transitioned into mainly broadleaf species, mainly Oak if I remember correctly. I came to an offshoot of the Hayle river that meandered through the woods, it was very idyllic , the water being clear, shallow and clean.
And so ends this day trip to Tregonning hill, I hope you enjoyed reading.
History of Godolphin House (borrowed from National Trust website.)
The medieval period
In the medieval period Godolphin Hill was probably common land to several local hamlets and used as a source of rabbits and seasonal berries. Evidence of surface mining and streaming have been found across the estate dating to this time.
A rising powerful family
It was during the medieval period that the Godolphin estate started to form. A rising powerful family called Godolgun acquired the land around the 12th century and built a defended house on the land around the late 13th century to early 14th century. Moated homes were built at the time to protect stock and produce from common thieves.
A defended house
Evidence of a defended house here comes principally from two sources. In 1478 William Worcestre included ‘ruined’ Castle Godollan in the settlement of Lodollan (Godolghan), in his list of Cornish Castles. Then, John Leland, writing in the late 1530s, tells of a ditch, and a pile of principal habitation of the ‘Godolcans’.
Tudor and Stuart history
Between the 15th and 17th centuries the family name changed from Godolghan to Godolphin. This was seen as a more agreeable name to the English elite with whom the family had increasing ties.
Mining intensified in the Great Work area as the tin lodes became exploited, leading to a great increase in the Godolphin family's wealth.
A deer park and rabbit warren
The hill and many fields were given over to a deer park and rabbit warren. These rabbit breeding grounds were a source of high-status meat and fur.
The deer park was used to farm for venison, but also would have been used for hunting as a leisure activity.
View across fields at Goldolphin House, in Cornwall, with abandoned pit head buildings in the foreground
The Napoleonic Wars
Some of the boundaries surrounding the estate were built by prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. The Duke of Leeds had connections with prisoner of war camps and was able to source labour to work on the land.
These boundary styles are very rare and, outside of the Godolphin estate, they can only be found at Morvah in Cornwall and around Dartmoor prison in Devon.
The Duke of Leeds
In 1909 the 10th Duke of Leeds made a special visit to Godolphin. This was only the second visit, on record, that the Dukes of Leeds made to Godolphin in the 134 years they owned the estate.
A book was created to mark this event, with all the farm tenants listed in it, which can be found in our collections.
A special gift
This visit was quite an event; all the farm tenants at Godolphin pooled together some money to purchase a silver greyhound. The Duke was an all-round sportsman and was noted for breeding and racing greyhounds.
A world heritage site
On 13 July 2006 ten mining landscapes across Cornwall and West Devon were announced as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From 1700 to 1914, the metal mining industry played a vital role in transforming the way of life in Britain. It provided essential raw materials to feed the Industrial Revolution.
Mining at Godolphin continued up to the 20th century, although it flourished around the late 18th century, much earlier than other Cornish sites.
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